Conveying apparatus



Nov. 26, 1929. s. E. MEYERS CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 19 1926 sSheets$heet I12 van 270 r 8 I 5.5. MEYE/EE.

fl vrn ey Nov. 26, 1929. s, E, MEYERg 1,737,090

CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 19 1926 '3 Sheets-Sheet 2 @GGGGQWDQG Nov.26, 1929. s. E. MEYERS 1,737,090

CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 19 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Iii a PatentedNov. 26, 1929 UNITED sTA rEs Parr;

51mm! 1:. manna, or BUFFALO,

' GON VEYING APPARATUS NEW YORK, A CHEMICAL 00-, INC., 0] NEW YOBK, N.Y., A

coaroaarxon or You,

Application med January 19, 1a2a. 'sem1 m. 32,334.

An objectpf the invention is the provision of a conveyor mechanism thatis not susceptible to in'ury due to the presence of foreign matter. Afurther object is the dprovision of a conveyor mechanism that is rea ilyremoved for cleanin when choked or otherwise stopped b solidification ofmaterial being transporte or by the presence of foreign matter.- Anadditional ob ectis the prevention of the entrance of foreign matter atthe'exit end of the conveyor. Another object of the invention is theagitation of the container and the conveyance of the material with theminimum expenditure of energy and attention. These and other objectswill appear from the follow ing disclosure.

In order that the invention may be adequately disclosed it ishereinafter specifically set forth and illustrated in connection withthe feeding of phenylglycin'e to a pot for fusion with sodamide in themanufacture of indoxyl and indigo. It is evident, however, that theapparatus is ap licable not only to the charging of materials ut also tothe treat ment or for the discharging of materials. The inventionaccordingly is not to be restricted to the specific disclosure but is tobe given an interpretation commensurate with the scope of the appendedclaims.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in cross section, ofthe apparatus as a unit;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the container and drive; and v i Fig. 4 is anenlarged detail of the conveyor drive.

A container 1 of cylindrical shape has a cover 2 with a charging opening3 and a hopper shaped bottom 4. A manhole 5 closed y a cover 6 'vesaccess to the interior of the container. t the apex of the hopper thereis formed a tubular transverse passage or con- SSIGNOB 'ro union st-'veyor casing 7. The hopper bottom rests on a pillar 8and the containeris held in vertical position passage. j A shaft 11 is mounted axially othe container which shaft rotates in a bearing 12, formed in the coverand closed by a stuffing box 13, and a bearing 14 held in; place withinthe container by straps 15. The

are supported on a superstructure 17 carried by the cover 2. An agitatoris fixed to the shaft which agitator is madein two sections 19, 20 onaccount ofthe bearing 14. Each section is made up of a plurality ofmembers preferably made of bar metal and shaped to y stays not shown. Anopening!) in the hopper portion closed by a cap 10 've's Y iacgesls tothe lower part of the hopper an the 11 u ar conform to the wall of thecontainer 1. The

upper diagonal strut members 21 are attached to collars 22 and 25 on theshaft 11. The low-' to collars 27, 28 I er members 20 are secured on theshaft 11. The members are preferably made with a narrow edge of the barresented in the direction of movement; by t 's means a shearing actionis secured, to prevent adherence of material to the walls, with aminimum expenditure of mm The mechanism for drivlng the shaft consistsof a bevel gear 30 secured to the shaft and driven from a pinion 31 on across shaft 32. The latter loosely journals a gear 33 to which it can becoupled by a clutch 34 operated by a hand lever 35. A pinion 36 drivesthe gear 33 and is on a shaft 37 which is driven from a motor 38 througha reduction gearing 39, 40. On the shaft 37 is a bevel pinion 41 drivinga bevel gear 42 secured to a downwardly extending shaft 43, and lowerend of the shaft 43 has a coupling member 44.

To one end of the conveyor casing is removably secured an extension of ahousing 51; and on the other end of the casing is a removably mountedbonnet 52. The housing 51 is secured to a fusion pot or other vessel 53into which material is to be fed.

A conveyor 54 fits within .the casing 7 and extension 50, and its shaft55 extends within and is splined to a hollow or quill shaft 56. Thequill shaft is journaled in bearings 57 and 58 formed in the bonnet 52,and a stufiing shaft and a driving mechanism 16 therefor box 59 preventsany leaka e. On the end of the quill shaft 56 exten ing externally ofthe bonnet is secured a collar 60 with an extending flange 61, andslidably supported on the collar is a sleeve 62 with its flange 63. Theopposing faces of the flanges are channeled to center and frictionallyengage a bevel ring gear 64, and springs 65 supported on bolts 66 forcethe flanges together. The spring pressures are ad usted by movable nuts67 and the friction enga ement between the flanges and the gear can eenhanced by the attachment of brake lining or leather facings to theflanges. A bracket 68 carried by the bonnet supports a shaft 69 carryinga pinion 70 that engages the bevel ring 64, and the upper end of theshaft 69 has a coupling member 71 for attachment to the member 44 on theshaft 43. The conveyor shaft is held from longitudinal movement withinthe quill shaft b the nut 72.

Within the housing 51 is a valve pivotally mounted on an arm 81 which inturn is pivoted on a shaft 82 extending through the housing. The valve80 can be operatedby a hand lever (not shown) externally of the housingand the valve is mounted to seat on the end of the conveyor passageopening into the housing. A pipe 83 extends from the housing to theupper part of the container to equalize pressures in the container and acut off valve 84 can be included in the pipe line if desired.

For convenience in lubricating the bearings for the drivemechanismcarried by the cover, depending pipes 85 are connected to eachbearing only one being shown on the drawing) to w ich pipes a grease guncan be attached and lubricant forced into the bearing. A ladder 86 leadsto the superstructure.

In operation, the container is supplied with a desired amount ofphenylglycine and, when conditions are suitable for charging the fusionpot, the motor is started and the agitator and conveyor are rotated. Theagi tator prevents adhesion of the phenylglycine to the container wallsand causes the material to flow into the hopper and tubular passage,while the rotating screw conveyor forces the phenylglvcine into thefusion pot. The valve 80 is preferably turned out of the way within thehousing 51 or it can be allowed to hang downward and be moved by contactof the material. When a charge has been fed into the fusion pot, themotor is stopped, and the valve 80 seats on the end of the conveyorpassage to prevent the entrance of material from the pot as in the caseof foaming or the like.

If foreign material should be present in the container, such as a pieceof broken iron, or the material should solidify in the conveyor, theslip gear arrangement, consisting of the bevel gear 64 and supportingflanges 61, 63, prevents injury to the conveyor. If

in such a case it becomes necessar to remove the conveyor, this can bereadi y done by separating the coupling members 44 and 71 anddisconnecting the bonnet 52. The conveyor can then be withdrawn andcleaned without disturbing the gear connections or the bearings. If itis found desirable to disconnect the conveyor element, it can bewithdrawn from the quill shaft after the removal of the nut 72 withoutaffecting the assemblage of the other parts. By this arrangement itbecomes a simple matter to remove or replace the conveyor.

When the container and conveyor are to be completely discharged theagitator is operated until the hopper is empty; the agitator is thendisconnected by releasing the clutch 34, and the conveyor alone isrotated in order to clear it of any material.

The above described apparatus is capable of feeding materials underconditions of superatmospheric pressure or vacuum, as well asatmospheric pressure. The rate of feed, can be continuous or varied toaccord with the intensity of the reaction taking place in the pot orother vessel. While the conveyor is shown horizontal it may be given anydesired inclination either upward or downward from the container.Fluids, either gases or liquids, can also be introduced into theconveyor casing when such an addition is desirable.

I claim:

1. Conveying apparatus comprising in combination a casing, a screwconveyor within said casing, a bonnet detachably connected to saidcasing, a hollow shaft journaled in said bonnet, means for rotating saidhollow shaft, and a shaft extending from said conveyor through saidhollow shaft and having engagement with said hollow shaft.

2. In an apparatus, the combination of a container, an agitator withinsaid container and driving means therefor, a screw conveyor having ashaft rotatably mounted in a casing associated with said container, ahousing at the discharging end of said casing and a valve mounted withinsaid housing adapted for closing said discharging end of said casing, abonnet detachably connected to the other end of said casing, a hollowshaft journaled in said bonnet and removable therewith, said shaftengaging said conveyor shaft, and a slip connection between said hollowshaft and said driving means.

3. In an apparatus for feeding subdivided solids into a vessel undernon-atmospheric pressure, the combination of a container, a conveyorrotatably mounted in a casing associated with said container, areceiving vessel at the discharging end of said casing, and a pipeconnection between said receiving vessel and said container and adaptedto equalize and balance the pressures within said receiving vessel,container, and conveyor whereby materials can be conveyed under otherpressures than atmospheric.

4. Conveying apparatus comprising in combination a casing, a screwconveyor within said casing, a bonnet detachably connected to saidcasing, a hollow shaft journaled in said bonnet and removable therewith,means for rotating said hollow shaft, and a shaft extending from saidconveyor through said hollow shaft and having engagement with saidhollow shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

SIDNEY E. MEYERS.

